Airplane insecticide dissemination apparatus



1944- G. c. QUICK 2,356,119

AIRPLANE INSECTICIDE DISSEMINATION APPARATUS Filed Aug. 17, 1942 6017 C@MK M Patented Aug. 15, 1944 APP ABATUS George Curtis Quick,Phoenix,'Ariz. Application August 11, 1942, Serial No. 455,159

4Claims.

This invention pertains to apparatus for effective and properlydisseminating insecticide or other materials from airplanes and alsoapplies to the art of crop dusting from airplanes as commonly known andpracticed. Heretofore, the art has been developed to the extent that dryinsecticides or other suitable materials were carried by airplane in acontainer within the airplane body and dropped from the bottom of thehopper, or container, through a trap or slid- 1 ing door, as desired, bythe operator as the airplane traveled over the terrain to be treated.

The distribution of the materials deposited was enhanced by the use of aVenturi tube. which created an efiective air stream of expanding volumeso as to carry the particles as released/in an expanding air current.The forward end of the Venturi tube was positioned to receive the airblast from the propeller slip stream and the rear enlarged opening ofthe Venturi tube extended along and below the body of the ship.

While apparatus of this nature was suitably adopted for dissemination ofdry, powdered insecticides, it is not readily adapted to distribution ofinsecticides consisting of a semi-fluid or plastic mass such as thoseused to poison grasshoppers. This type of insecticide consists, ingeneral, of a poison, a food substance as a carrier for the poison and abinder such as molasses, or the like. The mixture is compounded to havea plastic or semi-fluid consistency and when placed in the container orhop per of an airplane dissiminator required agitation in order to causeit to flow smoothly down in the sides of the hopper and out thereleasing vent. For the purpose of securing agitation, oscillating ortransverse rotary agitators have heretofore been used. However, it hasbeen found that these are insufiicient to accomplish a properdistribution and discharge of this type of insecticide, as continuousagitation caused the mixture to harden, lump up, and bridge over thedischarge vent. Agitation should be applied in a minimum amount and thenonly whenthe substance is being discharged.

In view of the foregoing, the objects of this invention are:

First, to provide proper agitation of semi-' solid insecticide mixtureswithin the container of an airplane for aerial dissemination;

Second, to provide an agitator for such uses with a driving means whichis easy to operate and light in weight;

. Third, to provide such an agitator with a means for controlling itsoperation so that it operates only at such times as are desirable forthe proper agitation of masses of insecticide in order to secure theirfree flow through the hopper and out of the releasing vent whenrequired;

Fourth, to provide an agitator for hoppers of insecticide distributingairplanes together with a driving means adapted to operate only whilematerial is being discharged from the hopper.

Other objects will appear hereinafter.

I attain the foregoing objects by means of the devices illustrated inthe accompanying drawing in which,

Figure l is a side elevation of the central portion of an airplane bodyprovided with a hopper having my improved devices attached thereto;

Figure 2 is an underside or belly view taken on line AA of Fig. 1 andpartially in section to more clearly illustrate certain operative partsan Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on line 3-3, Figure 1, drawin onan enlarged scale.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts in the I several views.

I have found that continuous agitation or kneading of a plastic orsemi-fluid mass of insecticide is highly undesirable. If an agitator isapplied to the hopper and permitted to operate continuously the materialwill ball .up and harden to such an extent that it packs and bridgesover and loses its fluidity. In this condition it can not flow down thehopper and out of the discharge opening. On the other hand if agitationbe applied and maintained only during the period that the hopperdischarge gate is open the material will not ball up or harden becauseit is in fluid movement. When not discharging it should be' leftquiescent. the operator of the dissiminating plane has his attentionabsorbed by the operation of the plane and discharge lever, it isimperative that the operation of the agitator be made automatic andcontrolled in conjunction. with the operation of the discharge door.

Referring to the drawing, 2 refers to the body of the plane; 3 to thehopper generally. At the bottom of the hopper there is a sliding gate 4controlled by two longitudinally extending oper-' ating links 5 oneither side which connect with a control-lever in the operator's cockpitpositioned within the plane body and to the rear of the hopper. Therearward motion of these bars opens the sliding gate and permitsmaterial within the hopper to drop through opening 6 and into the airstream 1 through the Venturi Since This may be'either bevel gearing, asshown, or

2 tube 8. Positioned slightly above this opening of the hopper is alaterally extending shaft ll journalled in each of the lateral sides ofthe hopper. The middle of this constitutes a rotary agitator and isprovided with fingers ll extending transversely through the shaft.

The left end of shaft l3 carries a spur gear I2 which meshes with asimilar gear l3 carried on a transverse shaft i5 parallel to shaft 13and journaled so as to be above and slightly forward of it. Gear i6 is,in turn, driven by gear l4, and this is similarly positioned on shaftI'I above and to the rear of shaft l0. Shafts I3 and 11 each carrytransverse pins to act as agitators. Shaft i0 turns counterclockwise;shaft I i clockwise, and I1 counterclockwise. The combined efiect of theagitators carried on these shafts of this gate is transmitted by leverarm 33 moving to position 3611, as indicated by the dotted outline, asabove explained, to the lever 33 to rc-' lease the brake drum and permitpropeller 23 to drive the several agitator shafts. Closing the gatestops the agitators and the material is left in a quiescent state untildischarge is again needed. Packing, bridging and balling up is thus isto draw the insecticide downward and forward Y and out through theforward edge of discharge slot 6;

Shaft i0 is driven through coupling 2| by a shaft 22 extending at rightangles from the cylindrical propeller housing 23 which is attached tothe side of the plane body by brackets 24.

A propeller 25 to be driven by the slip stream is supported on shaft 23at the forward end of housing 23. This shaft extends axially through thehousing 23 and its motion is transmitted to shafts 22 and III by speedreducing gearing 21.

any other conventional type of reduction gearing when greater reducingratios are required. The speed at which the agitating shafts tum dependson the consistence of the insecticide mixture, usually a speed of 200 R.P. M. has been found best.

Just behind the propeller 25 and on shaft 23 there is a brake drum 30. Abrake band 3| extends around this drum and is provided with suitablelinks 32 and a lever arm 33 for its actuation'. Attached to the outerend of the lever 33 is a cable 34 which extends inwardly toward themiddle of the plane body over a pulley 35 and thence rearwardly toconnect with a pivot arm 33 pivotally attached to the under part of thebody 2. This arm is pivoted by pin 31 proportioned so that its free end33 contacts the forward edge of the sliding door 4 when it is in forwardor closed position. In this position arm 36 is moved to the positionshown by the solid lines and a suillcient pull is exerted on the cable34 to actuate and set brake band 3| and thus stop rotation of shaft 23.In=order to make this pull somewhat resilient a closed coil spring- 39is included within the transverse'span of the pull cable 34. A tensionspring 40 urges free end 38 of lever arm 33 in contact with the forwardedge of gate 4, When this gate is moved to open or discharging positionthe lever arm- 36 moves to the position indicated by the dotted lines33a. Tension on cable 34 is then relieved and brake band 3i opens andreleases drum 30, whereupon shaft .26 is free to turn and drive theagitator shafts. When gate 4 is closed agitation automatically stops" asabove explained.

I have-found that by using this device even the heaviest mixtures ofinsecticide can be consistently spread without clogging. In use thehopper 3 is filled with insecticideplastic or powdered as the case maybe-through lid,',42. The plane operator releases this material.byoperatin'g theusual release lever in the ,cockpitjfinot, shown). whichis coupled to links I and opensdoor or gate 4. The opening motionavoided, while there is adequate agitation to feed material through thehopper gate when needed. I To those familiar with the art variouschanges and modifications may be suggested, therefore, I wish to belimited only by the following claims.

I claim:

1. In combination with an airplane having a hopper, a hopper dischargegate and connecting means for operating said gate from the planecockpit, a plurality of agitators operative in the lower portion of saidhopper, a driving means for said agitators including an air operatedpropeller mounted on a driving shaft, a brake mechanism associated withsaid shaft, a pivoted arm having one of its ends in contact with saidhopper gate, and a pull cord connecting the opposite end of said pivotedarm with said brake to set said brake when the gate is closed and torelease said brake when the gate is opened.

2. In aerial apparatus for dissemination of insecticide or the like,in'combination, a hopper. an agitator operative therein, a dischargeoutlet in the bottom of the hopper, a movable gate for controlling thedischarge of the insecticide through the outlet of the hopper, a driveshaft for said agitator, a brake mechanism connected to said driveshaft, and connecting means between said gate and said brake to controlthe setting and the releasing movements of said brake in accordance withthe closing and opening movements respectively of said gate.

3 3. In aerial apparatus for disseminating an infor actuating saidagitators when said shaft is operated, a brake for the power shaft, apivoted arm actuated by the opening and closing movements of the gate,and a linkage connection between said arm and said brake to control theoperation of the power shaft in accordance with the opening and closingmovements of the slidable gate. l

4. In aerial apparatus for disseminating an insecticide or the like, incombination, an airplane having a hopper, a discharge outlet in thelower end of said hopper, a slidable gate for controlling m thedischarge of the insecticide through said discharge outlet, a pluralityof agitators within the hopp r, an air driven power shaft, a driveconnection between the shaft and the agitators for actuating saidagitators when said shaft is operated, braking means operative on saidpower shaft and a pivotally mounted arm contacting at an end withtheslidable gate to follow the opening and closing movements of saidgate and connected by linkage at its opposite end to said brake forsetting said brake when the slidable gate is in closed position and torelease the brake when said gate is in open position.

GEORGE CURTIS QUICK.

